Taliban militants are claiming responsibility for a suicide car bombing and gunfight with security forces near the American consulate in the western Afghanistan city of Herat.

At least one person, an Afghan translator, was killed and several people including two police and two private Afghan security guards along with several civilians were wounded.  But the US says all of its consulate personnel were safe.

The violence underscores a changing security situation in Afghanistan.  The US is reducing its troop presence in advance of the full withdrawal planned for next year.  But insurgents are no loner concentrating their attacks in country's south and east, but now carrying out more attacks in the north and west which have been the more peaceful areas in years past.